A Bright and Shiny Future
by LimeisGreen
Summary: After the Tragedy ended, Hajime Hinata and his friends returned to Jabberwock Island to live out the rest of their days. However, there was still a demon that Hajime couldn't shake off: himself. He still remembered Chiaki's death like it was yesterday, and every day was an internal battle between him and Izuru. Short story set after the events of the Hope Arc anime.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Angels and Demons; Hope and Despair**

* * *

A warm cascade of light bathed my bedroom in a golden glow. Outside, birds sang a song to greet the new day as waves repeatedly kissed the shoreline in an everlasting rhythm. A cool ocean breeze drifted through my open window and tapped lightly on my exposed chest. I opened my eyes and immediately sneezed.

The pleasant setting around me twisted away until it appeared as nothing more than a painting on the other end of a hallway. I struggled to recall my dreams from last night, but the pieces were already falling apart until the fragments disappeared completely. My nightmares were as relentless as the waves, crashing into my subconsciousness every night only to pull away as soon as I tried to grab onto them. No matter how blue the sky was outside, I couldn't shake the dark and heavy feeling in my heart.

I dragged myself out of bed slowly as if it was the first day of school after a long summer vacation. Ironically, it was a Monday, but I knew that I wouldn't have to worry about school ever again. The concept of long lectures and educators was a long forgotten past that I found hard to recall. That past belonged to someone else, not me.

The world had ended, after all.

There was no need to worry about school anymore.

I tried to not look in the mirror as I entered the bathroom, but it was impossible since the room was so small that the mirror practically covered an entire wall. My fist tightened against the sink counter, anticipating another one of my "episodes."

When I looked up, I found myself staring at the only thing I could see in mirrors these days. The figure that stared back at me behind the glass was none other than the devil himself. It was the demon that I had tried to run away from ever since The Tragedy had ended. But how could a man run from his own reflection?

I pulled at my short, brown hair in frustration and watched as the devil before me mimicked my every movement. He, too, pulled at his long, untidy hair while his glowing red eyes burned with the pain of a million tortured souls. He opened his parched, bloody lips and let out an animalistic cry that rattled his hollow cheeks.

Hot tears filled my eyes as the horrors of the past unfolded before me in flashing slideshows. I shut my eyes tightly, but I could still see the victims falling one by one like a hailstorm. Their screams filled my ears like a symphony of despair. No matter where I went, there was just no way for me to escape the demon within. I guess this was God's special way of punishing me.

When I opened my eyes again, I noticed a small light from the corner of my eyes. Suddenly, a girl with light, lavender hair and bright, kind eyes appeared in the mirror. Her angelic presence was a complete foil to the devil. Even when she turned to look at the monster next to her, she smiled forgivingly and grasped his hands softly. They looked at each other with a deep longing in their eyes. Together, they turned around and faded away. Just like that, the mirror before me returned to normal, and the phantasmagorical scene was replaced with the image of an ordinary high school boy.

"Why do I have to go through this every morning?" I asked myself, but I already knew the answer to that.

I deserved the pain and the guilt. I was the one who killed her, after all. As she laid bleeding out in my arms, pleading for me to recognize her face, I turned a blind eye as if I was greeting a stranger. With the powers I had, I could have saved her, but I didn't.

Tears began gathering around my vision. It wasn't manly to cry, but at that moment, it felt as if my heart was shattering into a million pieces. "Even after all the terrible things I've done, you are still with me."

Tears filled my eyes once more as my memories of Chiaki came pouring down like a waterfall. After all the terrible deeds I had committed, she still forgave me. As she laid dying in the arms of a stranger who could not recognize her, she _still_ forgave me. In the end, I was never able to say what I wanted to say to her ever since we first met.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! If you liked it, please smash that fav/follow button and review :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Distant Future and Forgotten Pasts**

* * *

When I finally got out of my cottage, I was immediately greeted by a sharp, shrill scream. Moments later, a short girl with two blonde ponytails and a traditional Japanese kimono dress ran up to me. Trailing behind her was a boy with messy white hair. His pale skin wrapped tightly around his bones, leaving no room for anything else. He held a beach ball in one hand while the other hung lifelessly on the side.

"Wanna play with us, Hajime?" the girl asked.

"Hiyoko gets sour when she loses," the boy explained

"Nagito is such a bully!" Hiyoko screamed, spitting at his feet. "You just want to make me cry again!"

Without waiting for a response, Hiyoko opened her mouth and an ear-splitting shriek filled the air. Seagulls above flapped desperately to escape the torture. Unfortunately, we weren't born with wings.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping Byakuya with the new project?" I asked Nagito calmly, trying to make myself heard above Hiyoko's screaming.

"Who cares about what he says?" Nagito said, scowling. "What is the use of living in a tropical island if we can't have fun? Besides, aren't you supposed to be the leader?"

"It's not like that anymore," I murmured, turning away from him as I spoke. "I want you guys to start over again, and you can't do that with me around."

"Geez, I heard about what you did in the past. We _all_ did terrible things, you know. To be fair, you _were_ the one responsible for all this to begin with. But you are still our classmate, and we can't blame you for everything. At some point, you gotta just accept yourself as well."

I nodded and began walking towards the direction of the main dining hall. It was true. The world ended because of a group of high school students. However, we weren't just any ordinary teenagers. We were once considered prodigies, kids who would one day lead the world to greatness. How ironic was that?

During the Tragedy, Hiyoko, the world's youngest and best traditional dancer, used her talent to start violent riots and lead social protests. Nagito separated his limbs and aided a group of elementary students in massacring their parents. After all this time, I still blamed myself for everything that had happened. If only people had known about my true nature, then this whole incident could have been avoided.

When I turned and looked back, Nagito and Hiyoko had already ran off towards the beach. Despite how much of a brat Hiyoko was, I knew how much she missed her family. She was the one who murdered them, after all.

The dining hall was one of the first buildings we'd constructed since our arrival on this island. Everyone on here cooperated pretty well, even the less responsible ones helped out. We were all tired of the fighting and chaos, so it was no use to fight amongst ourselves. As classmates, we worked to build a civilization from scratch, with the intention of one day restoring humanity to its former glory. It was the only way to atone for our sins.

"What are you doing loitering around?" a voice called from the front of the dining hall. "Stop fooling around and get to work! We have to finish constructing our new building by the end of the month. It's very unstable right now, and our hard work will be completely wasted if a storm happens."

"I am just grabbing a bite to eat," I said to the blonde boy standing by the door. His sharp glasses seemed to twitch with annoyance at the sound of my disobedience. "Move aside, Byakuya."

The other seemed to hesitate a little, but he eventually gave up and walked away. Being the former heir to a once affluent corporation gave Byakuya a huge sense of authority and leadership, but he knew that there was just no way he could cross me.

The fresh scent of newly-baked bread greeted me as I entered the kitchen. Inside, a short and plump chef scurried around on his tiny feet, organizing and carrying around loaves of bread with inhuman speed.

"Don't mind me, Hajime," the chef spoke, his voice dripping with a heavy southern accent. "Y'all can grab what you need, unless you are Akane, of course. That girl needs special permission to enter _my_ kitchen."

"Slow down, Teruteru," I said, chuckling. "I'm just gonna grab something really quick."

When I picked up a piece of sweet bread from the table, I noticed something next to the stove that wasn't there before.

"That's a very pretty picture of your mother," I commented, pointing at the portrait.

"Oh, that!" Teruteru exclaimed, grinding to a halt. "I found that last night packed beneath some magazines I'd brought with me. Isn't she the most beautiful woman in the world? She is just so lovely!"

"Too bad she didn't make it through the Tragedy," I said without much consideration. As soon as I said it, I mentally kicked myself for being so ignorant.

"Hey!" Teruteru cried. "She _is_ still alive, okay? She is just waiting for me at home. When I get back to my hometown, she will be cooking a warm meal for me like always. She sure ain't dead, you got me?"

"Of course," I said quickly. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. I'll go help the others now."

I hurried quickly out of the dining room, a bead of sweat trailing on my forehead. Teruteru's relationship with his mother was _weird_ , to put it lightly. Still, there was no question that they were as close as lovers, and seeing him in such denial over her death sent needles to my heart. Even though what I said was pretty inconsiderate, I wasn't stupid enough to point out to him that he was the one who cooked her alive and ate her during the Tragedy.

The new building was located near the beach, right next to a giant palm tree. It was supposed to be made into a supplies storage facility where we kept goods that could be useful for trade once we established a connection with other survivors around the world. A Chinese ship found our island two weeks ago, and we were already establishing a trading network with them. Although their settlement was no better than our's, it still gave me hope that the world could get back on its feet again even after all the chaos and destruction.

I turned towards the beach where a boy with crew-cut hair and a childish face sat fishing with his companion, a tall, distinguished looking woman with glasses that reflected her sharp, red eyes. Although they never talked much, Fuyuhiko and Peko had the strongest bond out of everyone on this island. Peko was the greatest swordswoman to ever walk this earth and she had been a personal bodyguard for Fuyuhiko, the heir to an enormous mafia organization, from a very young age. Even during the Tragedy, when they led their mafia organization to commit large-scale crimes, they refused to part ways with each other and were one of the only people in the world who had complete trust in one another even amongst all the betrayals and deaths. It was pretty rare to see one without the other at least lurking somewhere nearby.

Suddenly, I felt an unannounced presence behind me. My past instincts flared, and I immediately went on the offensive. In a matter of seconds, I caught my attacker by the throat and was prepared to crush it before I realized who it was.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, Soda," I said bluntly, dropping the boy to the floor. "You could have ended up dead."

"Nah, I know you wouldn't do that," Soda said. He had a grin on his face, but his shaking hands did very little to convince me. "There's no need to kill anymore, right? We all promised that everything is over now. It's why we are restoring this island into a symbol of hope for humanity. Say, have you seen Miss Sonia around? I get the feeling she is avoiding me for some reason."

Sonia Nevermind, a former princess from a distant European country, was Soda's love interest ever since he first laid eyes on her. It was like one of those cliche fairy tales where a ghetto mechanic meets a beautiful noblesse and they run away together. Except, this was far from a fairytale and the love was extremely one-sided. However, that didn't stop him from pursuing her like a creep.

"I don't think she wants to talk to anyone at the moment," I said. "The incident hit her pretty hard, you know."

"Geez," Soda said, rolling his eyes. From his yellow jumper, he produced a wrench and began inspecting it for dust. "All she did was order her royal court to commit mass suicide and then nuke down her entire country. What's there to be upset about?"

"I guess massacring an entire country isn't as bad as building a bomb that almost destroyed the whole planet."

"I don't know," Soda murmured dumbly. "I don't really want to remember that right now. None of us are really the good guys here."

Who were the good guys? Immediately, my thoughts wandered towards _her._ She was one of the only good souls left in this evil world filled with despicable people such as myself, and I was the one who crushed that soul.

"Are you still thinking about Chiaki?" Fuyuhiko asked. He and Peko had abandoned their post and were joining us in our conversation. "We all miss her, you know. It's not really fair that everyone in our class survived except for her."

It always surprised me how understanding Fuyuhiko was of my predicament. He used to be extremely foul-mouthed, but the Tragedy had awakened a sense of maturity inside of him. Some might even consider the event a coming-to-age experience for him.

"Sonia told me that she likes to go on walks with Gundam in the morning," I said to Soda. It was a desperate attempt to change the subject since talking about it would only make me feel worse. "They like to go bird watching and collect seeds for Gundam's hamsters."

"Seriously?" Soda exclaimed. "Why is she even hanging around that creep? All he ever does is talk about summoning spells and the dark lord and all that junk. For God sakes, he is just an animal breeder. He should stop acting like the supreme ruler of the underworld or something."

"He is a hell lot more useful than you," Fuyuhiko murmured.

"I heard that!" Soda snapped back. "For your information, I am the one designing these buildings. It's because of me that we all have indoor plumbing. You are nothing more than a midget like Hiyoko."

The air was tense as the two rivals prepared for a heated argument with excessive cursing and name-calling. These fights happened often between the two, and it always ended with Peko beating up Soda with her bamboo sword.

"Help us!"

A voice from the distance sliced right through the tension like a sharp knife. When we turned around, we saw a pale girl with multicolored hair running towards us from the new construction site. Her name was Ibuki and she used to be the lead guitar player in a pretty popular girl band that committed live suicide in one of their concerts during the Tragedy.

"What's the matter?" Peko asked. She stepped forward, alert and prepared to defend her master.

"I-it's Hiyoko!" Ibuki said between gasps. "She's stuck on t-top of the new building, and Ibuki doesn't know how to get her down."

Without hesitating, we all raced toward the new building. Why would Hiyoko bother going to the building in the first place? Wasn't she playing on the beach with Nagito? Although the sensible part of me knew that nothing serious was going to happen, I could help but feel fear gripping at my throat. Maybe another part of me could sense the real danger. All the fear and uncertainty in the air reminded me too much of the past, and no matter how hard I tried, those old feelings refused to go away.

When we finally got to the new building, I could see the little girl screaming her head off on the roof. Most of what she said were curse words, but the general message was clear enough. She and Nagito had decided to ask Ibuki to play with them. Unfortunately, Ibuki struck the ball too hard and it landed on top of the building. Ibuki believed that the building was safe enough for Hiyoko to retrieve the ball, but the latter discovered that once she got up there, the building would wobble every time she attempted to move.

"Ibuki is known for her lack of good judgment," Ibuki said nervously. "Ibuki is sorry for causing trouble. Will Hajime forgive Ibuki?"

"That building isn't meant to be a jungle gym," Soda said. "It's gonna collapse if she keeps screaming like that."

"I'll go get a ladder from the dining hall," Peko said and hurried off with Fuyuhiko.

Somehow, I knew that by the time they get back, it would have already been too late. The structure was already starting to creak, and there was just no way to get Hiyoko to shut up. With hardly any planning at all, I rushed towards the palm tree next to the building. It was up to me to save her. By the time the others realized what I was doing, I was already halfway to the top. Even though climbing was kind of a new thing for me, I handled it with the ease of a professional. In less than a minute, I was standing on top of the new building. Treading as carefully as I could, I began making my way towards Hiyoko.

"It's okay," I whispered soothingly to the frightened girl. "I'm here now. Just wait for me to come to you."

"Hajime!"

With the cry of a lost girl finally reuniting with her parents, Hiyoko ran towards me as fast as her little legs could carry her. I screamed at her to stop, but it was already too late. I felt the roof beneath me shake, and the rumbling sound filled the air around me. The creaking of metal scratched at my ears like the talons of a thousand birds. I grabbed onto Hiyoko and placed her on one of the branches of the palm tree right before the floor beneath me collapsed. I considered making a grab for the branch as well, but I knew that my combined weight would only cause both of us to fall.

Just like that, I caved right into the darkness as it reached a welcoming hand to me from below.

* * *

 **:D Ty for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Hopeful Smile in the Face of Despair**

* * *

For what seemed like a really long time, I was falling, falling down a deep pit of despair with no end in sight. Every time I thought I was going to land safely, the pit just kept getting deeper and deeper. Maybe it would just be best to give up on this idea of hope and let the darkness consume me. No one would miss me anyway. I always thought that if I managed to reach the end of my fall, she would be there waiting, ready to forgive me once again. Yet, I knew that there was no way I could be forgiven after everything. These thoughts were so childish that I wondered if I'd learned anything at all.

Finally, my endless descent came to a stop, and I found that I could stand once more. As I regained my bearings and looked around, I realized that the end wasn't exactly like I'd imagined it to be. I was in a room that seemed to represent an office of some sorts. The walls were covered with mirrors, but I did not dare to look at them. There was an armchair in the middle of the room facing a row of cushions. Sitting in the armchair with his face buried in a book was someone I knew way too well.

"Hello, Hajime," Izuru Kamukura said with a smile and gestured to the cushions. "Please sit. We have a lot to discuss."

Without really knowing why I obediently sat on one of the cushions. It was soft, but not in a comforting kind of way. On the contrary, it felt like my body was slowly sinking into a pit of quicksand.

My other self paused for a moment and tossed the book he was holding carelessly to the floor. He turned to me as if expecting something exciting to happen.

"Is that…?" I asked. My words fell out of my mouth like scorching dry sand. For a moment, I felt as if I'd forgotten how to speak.

"It's your favorite," the devil said. "A classic comic book about a superhero who can do literally anything. He saved the world from destruction and created a harem of girls along the way."

"It's the first comic book I've ever read."

The devil smiled as if he, too, was reminiscing some old distant memory.

"Remember when you used to admire that character so much?" he asked. "You even dressed up as him for Halloween. Don't you find it ironic that your dream is to become a hero but you ended up as the villain instead? The world has tricked and lied to you, Hajime."

I clenched my fist tightly until it made my palms hurt. That comic book was the reason why I got so addicted to reading comic books and manga in the first place. They always told tales about brave heroes saving the world, but how could someone who admired heroes so much end up as the villain? I shook my head quickly to repressed these thoughts. I wasn't about to fall for his stupid crap.

"Why am I here?" I demanded.

"You know this will happen sooner or later," Izuru replied. "You know that one day, you will have to come and face me."

"It doesn't take a super analyst or psychologist to figure that out," I murmured.

"But you _are_ a super analyst _and_ a psychologist," the devil exclaimed. The grin on his face spread even wider. "You are the ultimate musician, mathematician, writer, martial artist...well...you are the ultimate everything. You are talent itself. Isn't that why you decided to destroy the world in the first place? You did it because you have so many talents that you became bored with humanity. I can't blame you. For a person who is perfect in every possible way, it's so easy to get bored."

"You made me do it," I countered, but my bravado slipped just as quickly as it appeared.

"And you let me," he said. He was spinning a web this whole time, and I had inevitably fallen into it. "Stop addressing me like I'm someone else. I am _you_. You are me. That is the way things are and will be. _You_ are the one responsible for brainwashing your classmates into helping you end the world. _You_ are the one who killed that poor, innocent girl."

"I won't let you hurt anyone, ever again."

"But that's boring," the devil said. He placed his feet up on the chair and began twirling a strand of his hair. His red eyes stared out into space as if I was just another customer waiting in line for his order. "This conversation is already starting to bore me. I can see the outcome already, can't you? Isn't it more fun to just kill people, to watch them die in such despair and agony that they cry out for their mothers? But even that gets boring, don't you agree?"

"That's not true," I whispered, but that was meant to convince myself more than anyone else.

"Look in the mirrors, Hajime. What do you see?"

Although I knew exactly what I would see, I still looked. Everywhere around me, I saw my reflection. No! It was _his_ reflection staring back at me. Suddenly, I felt smaller than ever as if the reflections were threatening to consume me.

"I won't be afraid of you anymore," I said weakly.

"Why don't you prove it to me?"

With a simple flick of his wrist, the devil tossed a shiny black object to me. I instinctively intercepted it with one hand and realized at once what it was. A gun? In a flash, the other pulled out his own gun as well, pointed at me, and fired a single bullet. It was a perfect shot, and it would have landed right in my heart if I didn't raise a hand to snatch the bullet in time. I dropped the shell on the floor just in time to catch another bullet. With the bored expression of a child who had beaten every video game in the world, Izuru fired a third shot...and another...and another….

The fifth bullet managed to scrape a slight cut in my left cheek, but I was able to evade everything else. Still, the bullets kept coming, and I found that despite my agility, there was no way I could evade my fate forever.

Finally, one of the bullets found its way to my knees and a searing pain like a thousand needles stabbed through my body. With a gasp, I dropped to the floor. When I managed to pull myself up with one hand supporting my weight, I felt something cold and hard press against my forehead. I looked up and saw a triumphant grin on his face. I closed my eyes and waited as he prepared to pull the trigger for the final time.

 _Click._

When I opened my eyes, I found the devil back in his seat once more with his gun discarded nearby along with the comic book. Once again, his face was clouded with boredom and discontent. He noticed me staring and shrugged.

"It's out of bullets," he explained. "Oh well, what can you do? Having ultimate luck is a talent as well, I suppose. As a person who possesses all the talents in the world, being extremely lucky shouldn't be that surprising to you.."

Speechless, I got up and held my gun in front of me with a steady hand. The armchair had him trapped within the armrests. All I needed to do was calculate his next movement, then I could make a clean shot. There was some mathematics, statistics, and aerodynamics involved, but that should be a piece of pie for me. If I could just destroy him, then this would all end. I could finally be at peace with myself. I could forget everything about the past and start over again. I could forget _everything._ Was that what I really wanted?

With a jolt, I realized the truth. This was his trap all along. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. This wasn't what _she_ would have wanted.

"What's wrong?" the devil asked when he noticed my hesitation. "Don't you want to kill me? Don't you want to just forget about the past and move on into your shiny new future?"

"I can't," I said, slowly lowering the weapon. "I can't forget about the past. I can't just run away from my responsibilities anymore. I can't just pretend like Chiaki never existed! She will always be here, in my heart...always. I won't forget about her. I will never...ever...forget her!"

The devil raised an eyebrow with interest. To be honest, I was surprised as well by my sudden outburst. Still, this felt right somehow. I could imagine her face, red and anxious, urging me on. This was it. It was about time I finally stopped running from the past and face it. Sure, it might be hard, but I felt stronger with the knowledge that she was out there somewhere, cheering me on. She was the one who believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. She was the light that lifted the veil of darkness from my life. There was no way I could repay her, but maybe I could start believing in myself just like she believed in me. I took a deep breath and said what she would have wanted me to say: the truth.

"When I was little, I always felt weak. I got sick often, and I was just that scrawny little kid you see everywhere else. At school, I never had a grade I could be proud of. People always told me that I was a disappointment, even my parents. I don't blame them. There are so many talented and amazing people in the world, and there was no way I could compare to them. I had no friends, and people always looked down at me because of how pathetic I was. All I had were my comic books. The heroes in those stories have everything I ever desired and more."

"And you can be that hero," the devil cut in. "You have the power now. You can exist without the pain of the past."

"But then, there was the Kamakura Project, and I discovered...you," I continued, ignoring his comment. "You were everything I ever wanted to be. When you are in control, I was strong, smart, and talented. It seems as if this other side of me had all the talents in the world. However, you don't always play nice. I knew you were bad, but I choose to ignore your true nature. You gave me the power that I have always wanted, and I was afraid that if I resisted, these powers might be taken away.

"You told me that the world was a boring place, and that I should let you take over completely. Like a fool, I listened. Then you started manipulating the students of Hope's Peak, brainwashing them into your own servants. With their talents, they caused riots and murdered scores of people. Meanwhile, I stood by and watched myself destroy the world, afraid of speaking out.

"However, Chiaki noticed my insecurities. She was a girl who held all the hope in the world with her small hands. But I couldn't recognize her. I was so blinded by my own greed and despair that I couldn't see the one light of hope in my life. You wanted her gone, and I couldn't stop you...because in the end, I was still a weakling.

"But I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be someone I can be proud of. I want to be someone Chiaki can be proud of. That is all I can do to repay my debt to her."

Before Izuru could react, I raised the gun once more. This time, I pointed it straight at my head and pulled the trigger.

I heard the shot go off, followed by the shrill sound of a million mirrors breaking. I shut my eyes but felt nothing. There was no pain, no blood...nothing.


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue: A Shining New Future**

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and found that the room I was in had disappeared. Instead, I was falling again down a deep, dark abyss. However, this time, I was not alone. She was right there beside me, casting a radiant glow that chased away the darkness.

"Chiaki Nanami," I whispered. The sight of her face filled my heart with so much joyed that it nearly leaped right out of my mouth. "I'm so sorry."

The girl looked at me and smiled a smile filled with hope. For a moment, we just stared at each other with deep longing. I grabbed onto her hands tightly, knowing that she would disappear if I let go.

"It's okay, Hajime," she said. "A shining future will always be waiting for you. It's true...it's absolutely true. Because...I believe in you."

"There is something I wanted to say ever since I first met you," I said. Tears poured down my face like an uncontrollable waterfall. It was time for me to say what I had been wanting to say to her ever for such a long time. "Thank you, Chiaki. Thank you for everything. It's about time I finally said it."

"Me too," she said. "Thank you, Hajime. I'll never forget you and our classmates. Being with you guys have been the best times of my life...even at the very end."

"So what now?" I asked. "When I wake up, everyone will probably be fussing about me. I'll probably have a few broken bones, but they will heal with time. Even so, I'm scared. The future is a scary thing."

"Remember what I said about the future, Hajime?" Nanami asked. She drifted closer until our faces nearly touched. "The future is not a path but an endless sea. Even if you don't know which future to choose, you can always create one. There is no need to be afraid. Come on, Hajime. You can be the hero of your own story. Show me how cool you can be!"

"Things will definitely be difficult," I said, smiling at the last part. "But I want to believe in you like you have been believing in me. There are still so many unanswered mysteries out there, but it doesn't matter. I know I'll never reach the end of the horizon, but I'll try. I'll keep on living for your sake, for my sake, and for the sake of all our friends as well."

"That's the cool Hajime I know!"

"Tell me, Chiaki. Will you build a future together with me?"

"Of course," Nanami laughed. "We are friends, after all."

A brilliant light erupted around us, swallowing my vision until all I could see was white. Chiaki's laughter lingered, and I knew that she would still be there with me when I wake. In the end, I was finally able to express my sorrows and gratitude to her. She was right. The future was unpredictable and unconditional like the endless sea. Even so, I was ready to create a future for myself...a shining new future filled with hope.

* * *

 **Yass! Finally finished :) My first Hinanami one-shot!**

 **Believe it or not, I actually wrote this for a school assignment dealing with psychology and Freudian ideas.**

 **Ty for reading 3**


End file.
